Giant Bladderwort
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Stagnant swamps or marshes NO. APPEARING: 1-2 ARMOR CLASS: 6 HIT DICE: 8 THAC0: 19 NO. OF ATTACKS: 11-20 DAMAGE/ATTACKS: See text SPECIAL ATTACKS: See text SPECIAL DEFENSES: See text SIZE: L to G MORALE: Steady (12) XP VALUE: 4,000 The giant bladderwort is a rootless, free-floating water plant found drifting just beneath the surface of stagnant waters in deep marshes or swamps. It may grow in combination with other marsh plants in huge floating mats, which appear solid but through which even small animals quickly sink. The greenish-brown stem may grow up to 50’ or more if conditions are right, and it usually has 1d10 + 10 traps, each about 4’ across, attached to its feathery green branches. Combat: The traps are translucent bladders, each containing a partial vacuum, that lie beneath the water. Due to the slightly greater pressure of the water outside the trap, the sides of each bladder are slightly concave around the middle, giving it a pinched-in look. Water is kept out by a flap at the mouth of the trap, which is sealed with a weak glue and acts as a valve. Long guide hairs and shorter trigger hairs surround the mouth of the bladder. When the trigger hairs are touched, the valve opens inward and the victim is swept along with some water into the chamber. The flap reseals and the water is absorbed (to be expelled later), restoring the partial vacuum. The triggering, activation, and closure of a trap all take place in less than a second. Digestive fluids then flood the chamber, causing 1-4 hp damage per round. Due to the very small quantity of air inside the bladder, the victim suffocates in 1-6 rounds unless assistance is given. A small-size creature (4’ or less) is wholly engulfed, while a larger one may have only part of its body caught in the bladder, which will still close and seal its flap, doing damage to the victim thereafter. In such cases, DMs should roll percentile die to determine what area of the victim’s body has been caught (1-20 right arm; 21-40 left arm; 41-60 head and upper torso; 61-80 right leg; 81-100 left leg). A character caught may attempt to break free by successfully rolling his chance to bend bars against the trap’s seal or by attacking the trap itself. Each trap has 2 HD; the body of the plant has 8 HD. Damage inflicted on traps will not kill the body of the plant. Outside attacks on a trap holding prey inflict half the damage on the prey within and half on the trap itself. Victims wholly engulfed by the trap may attack only with teeth, claws, or daggers. Habitat/Ecology: Bladderworts usually reproduce by pollination. Their purple and white flowers rise just above the water on narrow stems. During the winter, this plant forms green buds, called turions, that sink to the bottom of the marsh and rise up again in spring to develop into mature plants. If a bladder can be wholly raised above water (by itself, it weighs 50 lbs.), it collapses with a loud popping (it cuts off here…I’m guessing “sound”). Giant Bladderwort (CR 1) A giant bladderwort is a rootless water plant found floating in stagnant marshes. These carnivorous plants float just below the surface of the water, appearing to be a harmless mat of vegetation. It requires a DC20 Spot or Knowledge (nature) check to notice the plant is dangerous. A typical giant bladderwort is between 20 and 30 feet across. Giant bladderworts trap prey inside translucent bladders about 4 feet across, each plant has 1d10+10 such traps, each bladder-trap occupies a separate 5-foot square. The bladders contain a partial vacuum, as soon as a creature bumps into a bladder it pops open and the water rushing into the vacuum will suck all creatures with 5 feet of the bladder into the trap unless they succeed at a 15 Reflex save?. The plant then releases digestive enzymes that do 1d4 points of acid damage per round to all organic creatures (or objects) trapped by the bladder. Note that since the bladder is flooded with water, any air-breathing creature trapped within it also risks drowning. A trapped creature can break free with a DC 20 Strength check, or cut their way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 10 points of damage to the bladder (AC 12, hardness 5). Once a creature exits, elastic action closes the hole; another trapped opponent must make their own escape. Each bladder can trap 1 Medium-sized creature, 2 Small creatures, 8 Tiny creatures, 32 Diminutive creatures or 128 Fine creatures. Each bladder can only trigger its trap once per day. It requires 24 hours for the trap to reseal and restore its partial vacuum after the plant finishes digesting any meal it has trapped. Damage to the bladder-traps does not harm the plant, to kill a giant bladderwort its floating main body must be destroyed (AC 14, hardness 5, 40 hit points). Category:Plants